| Geography | Estonia |
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Location:
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Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia |
Geographic coordinates:
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59 00 N, 26 00 E |
Map references:
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Europe |
Area:
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total: 45,228 sq km
land: 42,388 sq km
water: 2,840 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea |
Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined |
Land boundaries:
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total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 343 km, Russia 290 km |
Coastline:
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3,794 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states |
Climate:
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maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers |
Terrain:
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marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m |
Natural resources:
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oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud |
Land use:
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arable land: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 87.6% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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40 sq km (2008) |
Total renewable water resources:
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21.1 cu km (2005) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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16,447 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%)
per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002) |
Natural hazards:
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sometimes flooding occurs in the spring |
Environment - current issues:
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air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was 1/20 the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
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the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands |
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